Grandpa Garnier used to say, Love is like a bucking bronco. It takes guts and determination to hang on, but it's worth the ride. If only Grandpa was around now to help Tyson Garnier out of this mess. The famous pro football player is suddenly saddled with a very public scandal—and an illegitimate child. Tyson needs a good nanny now if he's going to salvage his career. And plain, no-nonsense Dakota Brown is the ideal candidate. Dakota doesn't care for football—or for a man who doesn't seem to want his own son. But she needs this job, and that precious little baby needs her. Dakota isn't Tyson's kind of woman. But the more he sees of her—and the more he sees of his son—the harder he wants to hang on.

"It's 1914 at the Potter home in the rural community of Crossroads, which serves as family residence, doctor's office, boarding house, and telephone exchange. For Grandpa, a crusty, retired hellfire-and-brimstone minister; his daughter Miss Eva, widow of a country doctor (and practicing medicine without a license); Eva's imaginative and restless teenage daughter Nell; handyman Lomax; and schoolteacher/switchboard operator Lavinia, life is pretty humdrum-that is, until a train derails just outside of town. News comes fast and furiously through the telephone exchange. Neighbors call to report buffaloes in their cornfields, African chieftains stalking through their yards, and cowboys and Indians roaming the neighborhood. And then comes word that the train was carrying Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. As the household works itself into a tizzy, a refugee from the wreck shows up-assumed at first to be Buffalo Bill himself. Instead, he turns out to be a cowboy/musician with the unlikely name of Fargo Montana, who dresses in costume for his role as Buffalo Bill's stand-in. The folks in the Potter home are disappointed that their guest isn't the celebrity they thought, but they soon find that Fargo's presence forces them to confront their long-held dreams-Nell to live in the city, Eva to go to medical school, Grandpa to become a Wild West cowboy, Lavinia to find the man of her dreams, and Lomax to return to his roots in show business. Fargo has a dream, too-to start a jazz band. Fargo and Lavinia fall in love in a song, and as the curtain falls, everyone is setting out on bold new ventures."--Publisher's website.

AUTHOR UP CLOSE. I have been a contractor most of my adult life. This is actually a second career for me. Hopefully you have enjoyed many of my lyrics in this book. Some words I spelled wrong on purpose, I guess you know that by now. I did so the end of the word would have the effect I wanted; many lyricists do that. If by chance there are others, then shame on me and my spell check. Grammar never was my best subject. I’m married with six children and nine grandchildren. Working in any form has been my many hobbies. This is my first edition of Your Own Song to Sing. I will be doing additional editions, probably one a year for the next four or five years. Without writing any new material, I have enough to fill that many books, and yes, I’m still writing. Again I surely hope to see some of you that use my lyrics, if not on center stage when the awards come around. Meanwhile All Stay Well.—SAVERIO

Grandpa Garnier used to say, Love is like a bucking bronco.

Originally published as Coulda Been A Cowboy, this refreshing story shows that even the bumpiest roads are worth traveling for the right person. Grandpa Garnier used to say, Love is like a bucking bronco. It takes guts and determination to hang on, but it’s worth the ride. If only Grandpa was around now to help Tyson Garnier out of this mess. The famous pro football player is suddenly saddled with a very public scandal—and an illegitimate child. Tyson needs a good nanny now if he’s going to salvage his career. And plain, no-nonsense Dakota Brown is the ideal candidate. Dakota doesn’t care for football—or for a man who doesn’t seem to want his own son. But she needs this job, and that precious little baby needs her. Dakota isn’t Tyson’s kind of woman. But the more he sees of her—and the more he sees of his son—the harder he wants to hang on. Originally published in 2007 under the title Coulda Been A Cowboy